Google’s augmented reality glasses are all fun and good, but they are only just a start. The information beamed at you via head mounted display could be helpful, but how do you respond, and operate the darn thing?

Enter Google’s Smart Glove, described in a recently issued patent called “Seeing with your hand”.

The Google Glove is filled choke full with electronics. These include cameras on the fingertips, compass, gyroscopes, accelerometers and other motion detectors on the fingers, CPU, a bunch of RAM and storage in the palm of your hand, and (wireless) communication chips on the back. Maybe even a small battery band around your wrist.

After cramming all the necessary detectors and processing electronics inside, the fun with the software begins.

For starters – how about your gloved finger with the high res camera on the tip, acting as a microscope on steroids? Want to explore that chip inside your device in more detail? Just hover your finger over it. Google Glove will record a stream of multiple images of it, stabilize them and combine into one enlarged view. Enhanced with additional information, such as measurements of the chip or a circuit diagram of one or more components.

Use one or two more fingers with cameras on them, and you can generate enlarged and enhanced views of really small 3D objects. Replace some cameras with ultrasound, or other non-visual high penetration transmitters and receivers – and you start seeing inside objects. Add some infrared cameras into the mix, and you have night vision.

You get the drift…

But static images are only the beginning. Add some software magic to combine and interpret captured visual images with the motion sensor data, connect Google Glove to the Glass, and the Minority Report like virtual reality emerges.

By knowing in which direction, and how far your hand and fingers moved – Google Glove can interpret any gesture you make, and send that info to the computer that powers heads up display. Which knows what is being projected onto your iris and can actively react to the gesture commands.

Reading a book right now? Swipe to turn the next page.

Can’t see what’s on that billboard in the distance? Pinch and the Glass camera zooms in for better view.

Oh, what’s that – a projected menu in the café you are in? Just point to the snacks and drinks your want, and press the order button.

Need to write an e-mail? Clench your fist to call up the virtual keyboard and start typing on it

Know American Sign Language? Start signing and that e-mail may be finished even faster.

Whew… Got a bit carried away by all the possibilities that Google Glove may open up.

The bad news – “Seeing with your hand” is just a patent for now, so such Glove and Glass integration is still years away.

But the fact that Glove is already a granted patent, and not a patent application, is also a good news. Project Glass seemed like a very distant future only few months ago, and now we have people with prototype devices walking around, broadcasting and jumping from planes.

I am pretty sure that Google X Labs already have a few such Gloves lying around, and Sergey Brin may be playing with one right now.

Give it a year or two, and the rest of us may at least see it on Google I/O stage.

While I like to play with the latest gadgets, I am even more interested in broad technology trends. With mobile now taking over the world - following the latest technology news, looking for insights, sharing and discussing them with passionate audience - it's hard to imagine a better place for me to be. You can find me on Twitter as @UVStaska'

Or get this because I know its soo far advanced… Glass is voice operated! Nooo that couldn’t be it because there is no such thing! Oh wait I forgot there is Siri and Google Now which work amazingly well so why wouldn’t it work with your glasses? Honestly it look like someone just drew that to crack jokes about Google Glasses. If they are doing a smart glove, cool, power too them but voice activation is perfect for me and I cant wait to buy my Google glasses I will put them to use in a way many people will need!

jiangchao866

tinyurl.com/cyk9xz2

bibleverse1

I dont dream of Minority Report.

Kookas

I should think they are able to add gestures without needing special gloves for it using augmented reality. I can just envision writing on the table with my fingers but what I write is actually being entered into a text field. That would be a lot less invasive IMO than voice control.